Song Cong quickly received the data.

He scanned it swiftly, his brows furrowing almost instantly.

"Who implemented the comprehensive reform of the Newblood assessment format?"

Su Zhaohui casually replied, "A few months ago, the Human Resources Department welcomed a new minister. She was the youngest, most beautiful, most capable, and most promising in its history. Her name is Xiao Rui..."

So it's her.... Song Cong's furrowed brows relaxed, and he muttered, No wonder she even dared to put these two into the Newblood assessment.

He stared at the two profiles projected on his retina, then turned to look at Su Zhaohui beside him.

"One is A+, but his modification ability is unique. Under those specific environmental conditions, even I might not be his opponent. And the other one...."

Song Cong pursed his lips, at a loss for words.

"Although he is also A+, in terms of strength alone, his data assessment exceeds forty-seven percent of S-..."

"Lu Yuan is indeed strong, but after all, he only practices Pure Martial..."

Song Cong looked into Su Zhaohui's eyes and stated firmly, "Do you really think it's necessary?"

Su Zhaohui couldn't help laughing, pointing at him and saying, "Old Song, are you even listening to yourself? What do you mean, 'is it necessary?' For a Newblood like Lu Yuan, how rare is an opportunity to fight powerful A+ individuals from both the New Martial and Modification Systems? And you think it's unnecessary? I think you're so desperate to get him that you're starting to talk nonsense in front of me..."

Song Cong's eyes flickered, and he remained silent, as if Su Zhaohui had hit the mark.

Su Zhaohui patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Alright, Old Song, what's yours will be yours. With our years of friendship, as long as... Ahem, how could I not save him for you? Relax, you're the first to know. Just watch closely. Who knows... maybe this young lad can surprise us even more?"

Will he? Song Cong looked at the virtual screen before him and spoke quietly.

Maybe... Su Zhaohui appeared very composed, yet a hint of inexplicable anticipation surfaced in his eyes. Who knows?...

「.....」

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the middle of the vast Martial Arts field. His skin was fair, his features handsome, and his silky black hair cascaded over his shoulders. His quiet demeanor amidst a scene reminiscent of a tornado-ravaged wasteland was oddly picturesque.

Swimming Dragon sat four or five meters away from him.

A burly man, built like a black bear, crouched beside Swimming Dragon, holding a white, shell-shaped device. He first applied an ointment to Swimming Dragon's injured areas, then placed the device on them. After a few minutes, a BEEP sounded.

A hand that had been almost crippled was restored to its original state.

Swimming Dragon had been slammed against the wall by Lu Yuan's final blow, his pride as an "Ancient Martial Arts senior" shattered completely. He simply let go, making no effort to hide his pitiful state from Lu Yuan.

As the burly man treated Swimming Dragon's injuries, he kept sneaking sidelong glances at Lu Yuan.

His inner state at the moment wasn't much different from the current state of the Martial Arts field. Both were in disarray, a complete wreck, in the process of post-disaster reconstruction. If he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, if someone had suddenly run up and told him: Chief Instructor Swimming Dragon had a Pure Martial duel and ended up with two hands and a leg crippled, pinned to a wall like a quail. And the one who did it was a high school student who looked only seventeen or eighteen. The burly man would definitely have dunked that person's head into icy water to make them sober up. Were they sleep-talking? But now… he needed to consider how he would tell his friends about this when he got back, without getting his own head dunked into icy water.

BEEP—

With another alert, Swimming Dragon's last injured hand was fully restored as it was removed from the device.

He flexed his wrist, then waved his hand, dismissing the burly man with the device. His gaze then fell on Lu Yuan, his face etched with complex emotions.

"If you were to climb the Heaven Climbing Ladder in Penglai... those people would surely fight over you, viewing you as the greatest hope of the Ancient Martial Arts world in this past century."

Lu Yuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected those to be the first words out of Swimming Dragon's mouth.

Penglai... Lu Yuan had heard this name mentioned countless times; even one of the Crane Sect's Sure-kill Skills was named after it.

He then asked, "Senior, can you tell me more about Penglai?"

Swimming Dragon had always been straightforward with Lu Yuan. "Penglai used to be the sacred place for all traditional Fighters in the Ancient Martial Arts world, a place they dreamed of visiting at least once in their lifetime."

"Used to be?"

"Mmhm," Swimming Dragon said. "Just as Ancient Martial Arts once had an incredibly glorious past, Penglai's status was once unparalleled. Before the Modification System and New Martial emerged, Sum Country's top combat power always came from Penglai..."

"What about Martial Saint Island then?" Lu Yuan remembered another term Master Liudao Yuan had mentioned and decided to get a clear understanding now.

"Martial Saint Island was initially detached, but after the last Martial Saint passed away, it became completely subservient to Penglai. The Ancient Martial Arts world holds an Ancient Martial Arts Conference every five years on Martial Saint Island. Those who perform outstandingly at the conference will earn the privilege of entering Penglai Pavilion to seek enlightenment for seven days. The next Ancient Martial Arts Conference isn't far off. If you're interested, you can go check it out..."

"The Ancient Martial Arts Conference?!" Lu Yuan's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Senior, does Penglai have any Grandmasters?"

Swimming Dragon looked at him and nodded, "Of course."

"Oh." Lu Yuan nodded, murmuring thoughtfully, "Then I should definitely go and see."

Seeing Lu Yuan's expression, Swimming Dragon hesitated, then after a moment, said, "Your talent in Pure Martial arts is exceptional. Of all I've heard of or seen in my life, you are the most outstanding. Bar none. But there are still some things I want to tell you..."

Lu Yuan looked startled. "Please speak, Senior."

Swimming Dragon paused for a moment, then slowly said, "The path of Pure Martial arts has reached its end, and the way of Ancient Martial Arts is in decline. Don't let those people in the Ancient Martial Arts world brainwash you and make your thinking rigid. Switching to New Martial or the Modification System sooner rather than later will only benefit you, not harm you..."

This wasn't the first time someone had said something similar to Lu Yuan. On the Fly Shuttle coming here, Zhou Ling had painstakingly advised him to switch to New Martial soon.

Lu Yuan did not respond, remaining silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Senior Swimming Dragon, how powerful... is a Grandmaster?"

Swimming Dragon smiled slightly, as if he had anticipated Lu Yuan would ask this question.

"I don't know exactly how strong a Grandmaster is," Swimming Dragon replied lightly. "However, during my years at Yellow Bear, I've personally witnessed the fall of more than one Grandmaster. Some were surrounded and killed. Others died in one-on-one duels. Those who killed them were not Pure Martial artists; some weren't even truly top-tier... It's a pity these videos are classified. Otherwise, I could show you."

"Uh..." Lu Yuan said nothing, an indescribable emotion stirring within him.

He understood Swimming Dragon's implication. Grandmaster was considered the pinnacle of Pure Martial arts; the path of Pure Martial essentially ended at the Grandmaster level. And yet, such a truly top-tier figure, perhaps one in millions of Fighters, could easily be defeated by non-top-tier individuals from the New Martial and Modification Systems.

When compared like that... the gap indeed seemed vast. But Lu Yuan felt he was different from ordinary Fighters. When he becomes a Grandmaster in the future, he will definitely not be an ordinary one. However, he couldn't say this to Swimming Dragon.

"Why don't you switch to New Martial or the Modification System path yourself, Senior Swimming Dragon?"

Lu Yuan's question was a bit impolite, but Swimming Dragon didn't seem to mind.

He chuckled and casually replied, "Switch? Why not? I just don't want to right now. I'm the Chief Instructor of Ancient Martial Arts at Yellow Bear. The pay is good, and there's little danger. Why say goodbye to my old comrades so soon?"

Lu Yuan noticed Swimming Dragon's gaze fall upon his own hands and feet, his expression nostalgic.

Indeed, for Ancient Martial Arts Fighters like Swimming Dragon who had reached such a level, their strength was cultivated through years of arduous training. Every inch of their skin, muscle, bone, even every strand of hair, had undergone countless refinements. How could it be so easy to just give it all up?

If Swimming Dragon couldn't bear to part with it, Lu Yuan was even less willing. He was only seventeen in this life and hadn't even held a girl's hand...

"...Besides, if I switched to New Martial, my proficiency in Ancient Martial Arts techniques would definitely drop several levels. The martial arts of my Dragon Sect have yet to find a suitable successor..." Swimming Dragon added.

Yet, as soon as he finished speaking and looked up, he met Lu Yuan's earnest gaze.

"What do you think of me, Senior?" Lu Yuan asked with composure, his eyes shining with confidence as he spoke eloquently. "I, your junior, possess both the Palace of Flesh and Brain Divine Power. My talent is supreme, my brilliance unmatched through the ages. In my hands, the Dragon Sect's martial arts will surely flourish. If Senior Swimming Dragon entrusts the Dragon Sect's martial arts to me today, I guarantee that within three years... I will conquer Martial Saint Island, overturn Penglai Pavilion, and plant the banners of our Dragon Sect on the highest peak of the Ancient Martial Arts world!"

"......"

Swimming Dragon stared blankly at Lu Yuan, listening to his impassioned speech. He was stunned for a good while, unable to react.

After his constitution broke the limit once, Lu Yuan clearly felt his facial defensive power had significantly increased. He wasn't ashamed. After making his self-recommendation, he fixed his gaze intently on Swimming Dragon. He then keenly sensed that Swimming Dragon... was clearly somewhat tempted.

Unfortunately...

"The techniques you use seem to be from the Heaven Water Sect's Crane Faction. You must have already joined the Crane Sect, right?" Swimming Dragon looked at him.

Lu Yuan couldn't lie about this; otherwise, he'd be letting Liu down. He nodded honestly. "Yes. Doesn't the Ancient Martial Arts world allow a person to join multiple Sects?"

"My Dragon Sect does not," Swimming Dragon replied.

"Alright." Lu Yuan didn't feel too much regret.

Anyway, now that his intelligence had broken the limit, his comprehension was extraordinary, and he had the effect of LV3 [Imaginary Enemy]... What was meant to be his would be his, sooner or later.

"However..." Swimming Dragon changed tack and said casually, "Although I can't formally accept you as a disciple or impart the teachings to you, if you're smart enough to learn them yourself, there's nothing I can do, right?"

Lu Yuan's eyes brightened at this, and he thanked him sincerely, "Thank you, Senior."

It seemed the "flag planting" declaration just now still held some allure for Swimming Dragon.

"Once you join Yellow Bear, you can come spar with me anytime," Swimming Dragon said with a smile.

Then he added seriously, "But speaking of which, with your talent, if you don't immediately decide to switch to New Martial or the Modification System, learning the heritage of several more Sects would indeed benefit you. The Heaven Water Sect's heritage isn't bad, but unfortunately, you've only learned half of it. Missing the other half, the Snake Sect's techniques, means that whether in moves or True Intention, you'll fall short compared to truly top-tier martial arts legacies. Didn't you notice? Your Spirit Crane True Intention has an inherent flaw. If not for your formidable Physical Strength forcibly compensating for this, you would definitely be at a disadvantage against opponents of the same level..."

"Uh...."

「.....」

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